2009+ F-150 LEVELING COIL OVER KIT W/ UNIBALL ARM TECH INSTALL
After adding new Anzo lights and a rolling tonneau cover to his 2010 F-150, this owner had a severe case of the custom truck itch. Seeing other trucks cruising and towing with a taller stance, bigger wheels, and knobby off-road tires had him searching through Truckin’ for the latest in leveling and lift technologies. Wanting a truck that would still ride nice but look tough isn’t a pipe dream, and we helped him find the best of both worlds in just a few hours. ICON Vehicle Dynamics has recently released a complete leveling kit system that improves ride quality, helps the ½-ton clear 34s, and adds impressive off-road capability of the new-body-style F-150. The kit comes with a tubular, uniball upper control arm, 2½-inch coil overs for the front, and 2-inch aluminum series monotube shocks for the rear. Adding rugged good looks and functionality, we wrapped a set of BMF 20×9-inch Novakane wheels in BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A rubber, size 275/65R20 (34 inches tall). We’ll show you how simple it was to increase the height of this Ford while increasing the outward appearance and performance, both on- and off-road.
2010 Ford F-150 Before the Build
The 2010 Ford F-150 before the build begins
Step-by-Step Installation
1. Remove Front Wheels and Tires
The first step was to remove the front wheels and tires. Then the upper ball joint nut could be loosened with an impact gun.
2. Disconnect Sway Bar
Next, the sway bar was disconnected from the endlink to allow the lower control arm to flex down and accommodate the longer ICON F-150 coil over shock.
3. Free the Spindle
A little persuasion was necessary to free the spindle from the upper control arm, which was left attached until we were ready to remove it.
4. Remove Factory Coil Over
With the spindle loose, the next step was to remove the three nuts holding the factory coil over in place.
5. Remove Lower Bolt
The air impact gun was again used to remove the lower bolt from the strut.
6. Remove Upper Control Arm Bolts
Finally, the two bolts holding the upper control arm were removed and the control arm taken off.
7. Compare Struts
Here is the difference between the factory strut and the new Icon 2½-inch coil over. This kit is adjustable, offering one to three inches of lift.
8. Install New Control Arms
The new control arms were much beefier as well. They are a tubular design with uniball ball joints and polyurethane bushings.
9. Install Coil Over
Installing the new coil over is a breeze since it fit perfectly where the coil over was removed.
10. Add Aluminum Spacers
Aluminum spacers were included in the kit and were placed inside the lower control arm mount to center the ICON coil over.
11. Reuse Factory Hardware
Since there was nothing wrong with the factory hardware, it was reused to bolt in the new upper control arm.
12. Bolt Coil Over with New Hardware
Included in the kit was new Grade 8 hardware for the coil over, which was bolted onto the truck.
13. Secure Top of Coil Over
Grade 8 bolts were also used to bolt in the top of the coil over to the bucket.
14. Reattach Spindle
The spindle was re-attached to the upper arm and tightened to the recommended torque.
15. Reattach Sway Bar and Wheels
The last step was to reattach the sway bar to the end link and bolt on the wheels and tires.
16. Tire Selection
ICON recommends a 34″ maximum tire size, or 315/70/r17. For this install, we wrapped the 20 x 9 inch BMF Navakanes in BFG All-Terrain rubber, size 275/65/r20. That tire is about 34″ tall and fit perfectly inside the Ford’s arched fender wells.
17. Performance and Appearance
Not only does the new kit outperform the factory parts, they look really good under the truck as well.
18. Rear Shocks
Not shown being installed, the factory rear shocks were also replaced with these 2-inch aluminum series monotube shocks from ICON.
Final Thoughts
Icon Vehicle Dynamics has their stuff together. They really brought their A game with this leveling system. The install only took 2 hours, and when the kit was on, we couldn’t wait to get on the road to test it out. We started on the freeway, where the truck rode even better than it did before the kit. The coilovers up front and 2-inch monotube shocks out back really give the truck a better ride. The tires were louder than the factory Michelins but not obnoxious. Once we had the on-road testing done, we headed for some off-road testing. At speed on a rough dirt road, the truck rode almost as smooth as on the freeway. Over the more technical dips and ruts, the truck never rubbed, and even though it is a two-wheel-drive, it handled everything we brought it through. All in all, we loved the stance, ride, and ability that the Icon kit has given the truck. We liked it so much, we almost didn’t give the keys back to the owner.
Contact Information
BFGoodrich Tires
P.O. Box 19001
Greenville, SC 29602
877-788-8899
www.bfgoodrichtires.com
Icon Vehicle Dynamics
7929 Lincoln Ave
Riverside, CA 92504
951-689-4266
www.iconvehicledynamics.com
BMF Wheels
1401 N. Batavia Street
Suite 107
Orange, CA 92867
888-313-2580
www.bmfwheels.com
Share on:
No comments yet. Be the first to add comment!
Leave a comment
Please note, comments must be approved before they are published.
